Kevin Mullin
- Office: Congress, District 15
- Election Date: June 7, 2022
- Candidate: Kevin Mullin
- Due Date: Monday, April 11, 2022
- Printable Version
Thank you for seeking GrowSF's endorsement for the June 7, 2022 primary election! GrowSF believes in a growing, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco via common sense solutions and effective government.
The GrowSF endorsement committee will review all completed questionnaires and seek consensus on which candidates best align with our vision for San Francisco and have the expertise to enact meaningful policy changes.
We ask that you please complete this questionnaire by Monday, April 11, 2022 so we have enough time to adequately review and discuss your answers.
Vision
GrowSF believes in a growing, beautiful, vibrant, healthy, safe, and prosperous San Francisco. We work to propose and pass laws that align incentives of private businesses and individuals to promote shared prosperity for every San Franciscan.
As a candidate for federal office, your day-to-day responsibilities in office will affect not just San Francisco, but California and the United States as a whole. As a representative of the people of California and of San Francisco, the policies you bring to Washington should reflect the best of what we have to offer.
This section of our questionnaire seeks to help us gain an understanding of your alignment with our vision for San Francisco. Note that some of the questions may be outside the scope of the office you're running for.
Short-form questions
Please mark the box that best aligns with your position. You may explain any position if you so desire, but this section is designed to be a quick overview of your governing philosophy and view of the problems of the city, state, and/or country.
If you are not familiar with San Francisco in particular, feel free to skip the questions about it. But please do answer the questions about state and federal policy.
Small Business
| In San Francisco, in general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Open a new businesses | x | ||
| Run a business | x | ||
| Hire staff at a living wage | x | ||
| Obtain various licenses (liquor, entertainment, etc) | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Should the state or federal government have more say, the same say, less say, or the same amount but of a different variety on… | More say | Same amount | Less say | Same, but different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Small business creation | x | |||
| Rules & permitting fees enacted by cities and states | x | |||
| Corporate tax policy | x | |||
| Tax incentives for high tech, green tech, or other desirable industries | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Housing
| In San Francisco, in general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Expand your home (adding new stories, rooms, decks, etc) | x | ||
| Demolish your home and redevelop it into multifamily housing | x | ||
| Redevelop things like parking lots and single-story commercial into multifamily housing | x | ||
| Build subsidized Affordable housing | x | ||
| Build market-rate housing | x | ||
| Build homeless shelters (including navigation centers and "tiny homes") | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Should the state or federal government have more say, the same say, less say, or the same amount but of a different variety on… | More say | Same amount | Less say | Same, but different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Zoning | x | |||
| Taxes and fees on homebuilders | x | |||
| Oversight of cities' housing policies | x | |||
| Building subsidized Affordable housing | x | |||
| Building market-rate housing | x | |||
| Building homeless shelters | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Public Safety
| In San Francisco, in general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| File a police report | x | ||
| Recover a stolen item like a bike or laptop computer | x | ||
| Arrest & prosecute criminals | x | ||
| File a domestic violence or rape report | x | ||
| Charge & prosecute domestic violence or rape | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Should the state or federal government have more say, the same say, less say, or the same amount but of a different variety on… | More say | Same amount | Less say | Same, but different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Criminal justice administration at the state or city level | x | |||
| Police funding | x | |||
| Rehabilitation of prisoners | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Education
| In San Francisco, in general, is it too hard, just right, or too easy to… | Too hard | Just right | Too easy |
|---|---|---|---|
| Attend a school of your choosing | x | ||
| Transport children to school | x | ||
| Hire teachers | x | ||
| Fire teachers | x | ||
| Set public education curriculum | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Should the state or federal government have more say, the same say, less say, or the same amount but of a different variety on… | More say | Same amount | Less say | Same, but different |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Standardized education curricula | x | |||
| Public School funding | x | |||
| Private Schools | x | |||
| Religious Schools | x | |||
| Staffing levels | x | |||
| Advanced, remedial, or special needs education | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
Budget
| Do you think San Francisco spends too little, too much, or just enough on… | Too little | Just enough | Enough, but badly | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police and public safety | x | |||
| Street cleanliness | x | |||
| Homeless services | x | |||
| Affordable housing | x | |||
| Parks | x | |||
| Roads | x | |||
| Bus, bike, train, and other public transit infrastructure | x | |||
| Schools | x | |||
| Medical facilities | x | |||
| Drug prevention and treatment | x | |||
| Arts | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free:
| Do you think the state or federal governments spend too little, too much, or just enough on… | Too little | Just enough | Enough, but badly | Too much |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Police and public safety | x | |||
| Street cleanliness | x | |||
| Homeless services | x | |||
| Affordable housing | x | |||
| Parks | x | |||
| Roads | x | |||
| Bus, bike, train, and other public transit infrastructure | x | |||
| Schools | x | |||
| Medical facilities | x | |||
| Drug prevention and treatment | x | |||
| Arts | x |
If you want to explain any positions above, please feel free: What are the top three issues facing San Francisco, California, or the Nation and what would you like to see change?
1. Climate: I would like to address contributors to climate change and more climate resiliency programs.
2. Housing: I'd like to address our housing crisis by increasing the supply of all types of housing for all income levels and making it easier to build and maintain affordable housing.
3. Election reform: I would like to increase campaign contribution transparency and strengthen our democracy with mail in ballots and access to vote for every citizen.
Tell us one thing you think needs to change in San Francisco, California, or the Nation that the average voter wouldn't know about.
Inadequate housing across the state has led to the displacement and shortage of thousands of teachers. In high-cost areas, this extreme disparity has forced even the highest paid teachers out of the market for both rental housing and home ownership. First, this causes teachers who do not have other housing arrangements to leave. Then, it makes it nearly impossible to fill those vacant positions. The result has been that school districts are unable to hire a sufficient number of qualified teachers to fill the demand for classrooms.
The ratio of jobs to housing in San Mateo County over the past decade is eleven new jobs to every new unit of housing. This has compounded the housing crisis and made it more difficult for teachers and other low and moderate income earners to afford to live in the region. That's why I authored bills to permit teacher housing, AB 1157 (2017) and AB 3308 (2020). In districts where housing is cost prohibitive, building teacher housing on surplus property will increase housing capabilities. Those bills ease the process and increase the supply of housing for our teachers and school district employees.
Policy
Now that we know where you align and differ from our vision for San Francisco, we'd like to get some details about how you intend to use your elected office to achieve your goals.
Why are you running for Congress?
I've served San Mateo County for over a decade. In 2007 I was elected to South San Francisco city council and served as Mayor in 2011. In 2012 I was elected to represent northern San Mateo County in California's Assembly. I have passed more than 60 bills signed into law during my tenure, including landmark legislation pioneering all vote-by-mail elections and combating dark money in state campaigns.
I'm running for Congress to fight for the future of our democracy and the planet. In the Assembly, I've fought for and won funding for wetlands restoration and climate resiliency -the largest resiliency investment in California history.
In Congress, I will work to ensure the country follows California's lead to end the sale of new gasoline motor vehicles by 2035 and to electrify public transit as CalTrain plans to do in its modernization plan. Elections reform and strengthening our democracy have been my top priorities in the Assembly, as represented in the DISCLOSE ACT, AB 249 (2017). I passed universal vote-by-mail so every voter receives a paper ballot postage paid, resulting in record participation and turnout. I was also a co-author of the landmark law automatically registering Californians to vote.
What distinguishes me and makes me the most qualified for Congress is my experience in political office serving as a South San Francisco City Councilmember and in the current leadership role as California State Assembly Speaker pro Tempore (elected in 2012). I was the District Director for then state-Senator Jackie Speier and served as political consultant for my father, former state Assemblymember Gene Mullin. I have also been a member of the San Mateo Democratic Central Committee for a decade and am an active member in local democratic organizations including San Mateo County Democrats and Peninsula Democratic Club.
In her endorsement of my candidacy, Representative Jackie Speier asserted that "Experience matters". Experience matters for low-income families to have affordable housing. I supported legislation to appropriate funds for affordable housing and homelessness aid and established rental increase caps. Experience matters for working families to have living wages and job protection. I have pushed for an increase in worker's wages and protections through an increased minimum wage in California, authorizing collective bargaining for childcare workers, and prohibiting forced employment arbitration agreements from their employer. Experience matters for people of color to tackle systemic inequities in our justice system. I supported AB 2542 (2020), which prohibits the state from seeking a criminal conviction or sentence on the basis of race, or ethnicity.
My experience in tackling multiple issues and advocating for my constituency makes me the best candidate for the House of Representatives. I live in South San Francisco with my wife, Jessica Stanfill Mullin, and twin boys.
What is your #1 policy goal?
Climate resilience.
How will you build the coalition and political capital to enact your #1 goal?
The impacts of climate change to our communities require us to act quickly. The United States needs to protect itself against future climate disasters and rebuild our workforce from an ongoing pandemic that has shown us what can happen when we aren't prepared for an emergency. Policies must seek to make this country more climate resilient by investing in various adaptation activities throughout the country, ranging from wildfire risk reduction, to drought preparation, to protection against sea-level rise. We also need to create long-term green jobs that help us reach our climate goals. It is essential that we invest in the infrastructure necessary to protect our communities, our environment, and our economy from an evolving climate crisis.
I have authored and co-sponsored numerous pieces of legislation strengthening Climate resilience and decreasing the impacts of climate change. Each of these bills required political capital to pass through the legislature. My top priority this year is maximizing the billions in climate resiliency funds from SB 5 (2017), which I co-authored, from the state by completing proposed projects in an expedited manner. The longer projects are under construction, the more they cost. My bill, AB 2362 (2022) will help that process by focusing on the permitting which slows all projects down. There needs to be better coordination among the regulatory agencies so much needed restoration, and climate change adaptation projects are completed in a reasonable amount of time.
I was a co-sponsor on the Buy Clean initiative (2017), which required the Department of General Services (DGS) to establish standards used in the bid process related to greenhouse gas (GHG) emissions when certain eligible materials are used in state public works projects. Moreover, supporting accessible and green transit infrastructure has been a priority through my legislative career. I have supported high speed rail during my term in the state legislature including authoring AB 1889 (2016) to ensure funding is being designated to projects that are suitable and ready for high-speed train operation. Caltrain electrification is a top priority. I have authored AB 2197 (2022) to provide $260 million to complete the Caltrain Electrification Project. I will continue to advocate and build political capital in Congress to have the tools to create a resilient climate and country to address climate change.
Will the power of the office of Congressmember be enough to achieve this goal?
Yes.
What are your #2 and #3 policy goals?
Addressing the housing crisis and election reform.
Will the power of the office of Congressmember be enough to achieve these goals?
Yes.
What is an existing policy you would like to reform?
Existing policy surrounding elections, particularly electing more diverse candidates, protecting elections, and promoting voter accessibility are a reform priority. For the last decade serving as an Assemblymember, I wrote and passed more than 60 bills into law including the first law for all vote-by-mail elections and the first-of-its-kind DISCLOSE Act AB 249 (2017) to ban dark money from California campaigns. The DISCLOSE Act expanded the coverage of the Political Reform Act of 1974 to make it easier to see the funders of ballot measures and expenditure ads, preventing donors from hiding behind committees. I am a co-author of the landmark law automatically registering Californians to vote. I also piloted the universal vote-by-mail in California, so every voter receives a paper ballot with paid postage, resulting in record participation and turnout.
In 2015, San Mateo County was the first county in the San Francisco Bay Area to conduct a regularly scheduled off-year election entirely by mail. The 2015 All-Mailed Ballot Election in San Mateo County resulted in increased voter turnout, decreased costs to the jurisdictions, improved efficiencies and early results on election night. The election experienced the highest voter turnout in over 20 years, reversing a downward trend in voter participation locally and across the state. There were 14,000 more voters and a 15% increase in the number of voters participating in this election when compared to the last comparable election held in 2013. More than 10,000 voters became permanent vote by mail voters, increasing the total number of permanent vote by mail voters from 57% to over 60% of all registered voters.
Turnout increased for all populations:
Youth vote–increased to 11.5%
Asian vote–increased to 24.7%
Latino vote–increased to 16.6%
Black vote–increased to 13.4%
I will continue to work tirelessly to make sure elections are serving everyone in our community.
What is an "out there" change that you would make to state/local government policy, if you could? (For example: changing how elections work, creating a Bay Area regional government, etc.)
To some representatives in state and local government, addressing the housing crisis by building more units of housing for all levels of income and making it easier to build affordable housing is one "out there" change I have been fighting for, but would take the opportunity to change more. We benefit as a community when everyone has a home. Our current housing crisis must be addressed by preserving and drastically increasing affordable and market-rate housing stock and expanding tenant protections. This can be achieved through changing zoning laws, supporting economically diverse neighborhoods through multifamily housing, streamlining housing approvals, stabilizing rents, and preventing displacement.
Personal
Tell us a bit about yourself!
How long have you lived in California? What brought you here and what keeps you here?
I was born and raised in South San Francisco. My community and dedication to provide equal economic opportunities for everyone keeps me here.
What do you love most about California and/or your hometown?
The people and diversity in South San Francisco.
What do you dislike the most about California and/or your hometown?
It could be warmer in South San Francisco, and I would appreciate more dog parks.
Tell us about your current involvement in the community (e.g., volunteer groups, neighborhood associations, civic and professional organizations, etc.)
My office works with a variety of community organizations. We worked with Self-Help for the Elderly to host a Senior Scam Workshop in Cantonese and Mandarin, and I co-hosted with the Asian Pacific Islander Caucus-League of California Cities an Appointment Workshop to encourage the API community to apply for State Boards and Commissions.
I also hosted health and resource fairs and worked with many non-profits including: · Center for Independence of Individuals with Disabilities: Developmental disability service
· Central Coast Energy Services: Energy conservation, home improvement, utility assistance
· ClearCaptions: Free captioned telephone service for individuals with hearing loss · El Concilio of San Mateo County (SMC): Energy savings program & minor home repair program
· Get-Up-and-Go: Low cost transportation services
· HICAP of San Mateo County/Self-Help for the Elderly: Health insurance counseling · HIP Housing: Home sharing & living arrangements
· Legal Aid Society of SMC: Legal advice & senior advocates program · Ombudsman Services of San Mateo County, Inc.: Protects long term care residents · Pacific Stroke Association: Stroke care
· Peninsula Clean Energy: Energy saving · Peninsula Family Service: Senior peer counseling program
· Peninsula Humane Society/SPCA: Pet Adoptions and programs · Project Sentinel: Housing assistance
· RSVP of SMC & Northern Santa Clara County: Referral service for local volunteer opportunities.
I am also an involved member of the Democratic Party and support its efforts whenever I can.
If you see any errors on this page, please let us know at contact@growsf.org.